Multiple channel jacketing with attached mounting strip



Dec. 12, 1967 w. A. PLUMMER 3,357,455

MULTIPLE CHANNEL JACKBTING WITH ATTACHED MOUNTING STRIP Filed June 15, 1966 U l -iq 'm 4 Wd/ZIZA Flaw/M6? INVENTOR.

United States Patent Office 3,357,455 Patented Dec. 12, 1967 3,357,455 MULTIPLE CHANNEL JACKETING WITH ATTACHED MQUNIING STRIP alter A. Plummer, 3546 Crownridge Drive, Sherman Oaks, Calif. 91403 File-d June 13, 1966, Ser. No. 557,254 6 Qlaims. (Cl. 138-106) ABSTRACT OF THE DISQLGSURE This invention relates to a jacketing assembly for conductors, cabling and the like and features a unique attached mounting strip enabling a desired number and sizes of independent jacketing assemblies to be separably joined together for support as a group and to be arranged in a wide variety of dispositions in an operating environment. Any selected number of jackets of a selected size and construction and incorporating the invention mounting and coupling strip can be joined together and disposed against a supporting surface of widely varying configuration. A feature of the coupling strip is the ease with which one or more of the jackets and its contents can be branched out from the remainder of the jackets.

Seamed flexible jacketing for conductors, cables, conduits and the like are finding ever increasing application in many different environments including spacecraft, aircraft, missiles, electrical equipment of all kinds and many others. These jackets normally include a separable seam extending lengthwise thereof which can be opened and reclosed repeatedly when adding, removing or servicing conductors.

It not infrequently happens that there is need for increasing the number of jacket assemblies or using assemblies of substantially different size than previously. Also, it is often desirable to divide the conductors being enclosed into a number of different groups to facilitate branchouts of selected conductors at selected points distributed along the length of the cabling complex. Still another need is the provision for jacketing conductors into smaller groups to the end that these groups can be better accommodated in the available space.

To meet the foregoing needs and to overcome the shortcomings and disadvantages of conductor jacketing assemblies previously proposed, there is provided by the present invention a plurality of jackets of varying size each provided with its own mounting strip securely bonded lengthwise thereof. Each bonding strip is provided with a complementally shaped pair of male and female seamforming members along its lateral edges to the end that these may be joined as desired to the mating member of the similarly constructed mounting strip of another jacket assembly. In this manner, as many jacket assemblies as desired and of any desired size and construction may be quickly joined together or separated from one another to accommodate the needs of a particular environment. The interlocking joints between adjacent mounting strips are easily opened and reclosed. This permits any individual jacket assembly to branch off from the others at any point along their length. If desired, the mounting strips of the assemblies may be interconnected in a closed ring or loop and used to hold the multiple jacket assembly firmly assembled about another cable, a conduit or a structural element of the equipment. Alternatively, the interconnected mounting strips of the assemblies may be wrapped around corners or disposed against either curved surfaces or flat surfaces with equal facility and secured thereto in any suitable manner with the closure seams of the individual jackets disposed for convenient access and servicmg.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved jacket assembly for conductors, cables and the like featuring an integral mounting strip provided with tongue and groove means along its edges designed to be separably mated to the similarly constructed mounting strips of other jacket assemblies.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a multiple-channel jacketing assembly for conductors and the like comprising a plurality of individual jacket assemblies so constructed as to be readily separated from or added to other similar jacket units.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a multiple-jacket assembly for conductors flexibly joined together by seam means which can be opened along any desired portion of its length to permit a particular jacket assembly and its contents to branch off from the remainder of the assembly.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a typical assembly of the invention jacket assemblies held supported about a tubular structural member and with two of the jacket assemblies branching away from the remainder;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale through one of the jacket assemblies;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line.

33 on FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view through a group of the assemblies mounted against a fiat surface; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view through a group of the assemblies connected together and supported about the corner of a supporting column.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGURE 1, there is shown one typical mode of assembling and installing the invention jacketing designated generally 10 about a supporting conduit 11. Iacketing assembly 10 comprises a plurality of generally similar individual jackets 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 although it will be understood that the jackets may be of the same or different construction depending upon the needs of theparticular installation. Bonded or heat fused lengthwise of one side of each assembly is a flexible mounting strip 20, preferably of thermoplastic material. The area of bonding or heat fusing 21 (FIGURE 2) is sufiiciently wide to form a strong and durable junction between the main body of the jacketing and strip 20.

The construction of the individual mounting strips 20 is best shown in FIGURE 2 and includes one suitable form of separable interlocking tongue and groove along either laterail edge of the strip and used mateable with the complementally shaped edge On the mounting strips of adjacent jacket assemblies to hold these strips separably secured together. Thus the right hand edge of strip 20 is provided with a T shaped tongue 23 having a pair of diverging teeth 24 along the underside of its head portio ada ted to nest within and interlock with co ple entally shaped teeth 25 formed in the U-shaped edge 26 of ariotheimounting stri It will he u derstood that each mounting strip ineludes one T-shaped tongue and one U- shaped groove portion. This type of interlocking tongue and groove is merely one ofnumerous well known interlocking seam-forming designs suitable for use in prte tici'ng the principles of the present inVenti6il.

FIGURE 2 also show "a typieaiconstrnetion of on of the tubular jackets, such as i'6. This jacket has flexible sheet plastic main body 30 having a layer or aluminum toilet bonded to its interior surface. This laminated main body has a width greater than its assembled-circumference to provide an interior guard flap 32 underlying and bridging the seam structure. To 'providethe most effective electric shielding, it is important that themetallic layer completely surround the conductors being enclosed and that its overlapping edges be in 'metal-to-metal cOiIltat. To this end, the free lateral edge of guard flap 32 is embraced by a U-shaped stri of metallic foil 34. Strip 34 and a continuous length of metal braid 35 are held firmly secured to the guard flap by rivets, stitching or other suitable means and extend the full length of the guard flap. Desirably, at {least one end of braid 35 projects for some distance beyond the end of the guard flap.

Each tubular assembly also includes a pair of seamforming tapes 37, v38 provided with any suitable configuration of interlocking tongue 39 and groove members 40 extending lengthwise of their free edges. The other or mountingweb of each tape 37, 38 is heat fused or otherwise bonded to the main body of the jacketing in the manner well known to those :skilled in this art. As "here shown, the mating tongue and groove 39, 400i the seam forming tapes is :of the same type extending along the opposite edges of mounting strips 20 and described in detail above.

The drawing illustrates typical ones of the many ways of utilizing the invention multiple channel ducting assembly. According to FIGURE 1 a number of jackets of appropriate size required to house diflerent groups of conductors such as the separate groups 42 and 43 enclosed by jackets 13 and 14, respectively, are selected and their mounting strips 20 are interlocked by edgewise engagement of the adjacent tongues and grooves in the manner made clear by FIGURE 2. According to one assembly mode, the selected sizes and numbers of individual jacket units have their mounting strips interlocked together and connected in a closed loop embracing a structural col umn or conduit 11. As will be observed, the access seams of the individual jackets are conveniently disposed and may be opened and closed individually and for the length desired for servicing the conductors housed thereby.

It frequently happens that there is need for one group of conductors to branch off from the others. This is easily accommodated by opening the separable seam 23, 26 of the mounting strip of the particular jacket involved thereby freeing the desired length of the jacket from the main assembly. Thus, in FIGURE 1 the upper ends of jackets 16 and 17 are shown branching off from the remainder of the jackets and at different axial distances lengthwise of the other jackets. To prevent opening of the tongues and grooves 23, 26 below the point of branchout, it is desirable to bond these tongues and grooves together using suitable adhesive applied for some distance downstream from the branchout.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show other typical modes of assembiting and supporting the invention jacketing in side-byside relation as along a fiat surface as well as about a corner of a supporting structure. Although FIGURE 5 shows the jacketing arranged along the outside of a corner, it is quite apparent that a plurality of interlocked tubular jackets could be disposed in a similar manner about an inside corner.

Although the invention, as described and illustrated, utilizes seamed ubular jackets, it will be und rstood that the various jackets may be seamless. In this event the cabling or separate conductors are installed from one end in aceordanee with Well known technique.

While the particular multiple channel jacketing with attached mounting strip herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing theadv'aritages hereinbeforestated, it is to be under"- stood tliat it is merely illustrative of the presently pref rred embodiments of the invention and that no limita tions are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the ap ended claims.

I claim: I

1. In a jacket assembly for use to enclose conductors, cabling and the like, said jacket assembly comprising a continuous tubular main body ofthin flexible sheet plastic material; that improvement whieh comprises a connector and mounting strip for said jacket assembly, said strip extending lengthwise from end to end of the jacket body with the midportion thereof bonded to the midportion of said jacket body, the opposite lateral edges of said mounting strip being provided respectively with first and second complementally shaped portions of an interlocking separable seam of the type mateable by relative lateral movement whereby the first portion of one strip is adapted to be interlocked with the second portion of the mounting strip of a second similarly constructed jacket assembly upon relative lateral mating movement and whereby the second portion of said one strip is adapted to be interlocked with the first portion of the mounting strip of a third jacket assembly upon relative lateral mat ing movement to hold a plurality of said jacket assemblies flexibly interlocked in side-by-side relation to one another.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 characterized in that a plurality of said jacket assemblies are secured together by said interlocked first and second portions of their adjacent mounting strips, and in that one end portion of a selected jacket assembly is adapted to branch off at an angle to other of said assemblies by separating a length of its mounting strip from interlocking engagement with the mounting strip of adjacent jacket assemblies.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 characterized in that a plurality of said jacket assemblies are secured together in a ring by a closed loop of said mounting strips interlocking lengthwise of one another.

4. A jacket assembly as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said tubular main body is provided lengthwise thereof with separable seam-forming means comprising a pair of complementally-shaped interlocking tongue and groove means secured respectively to the opposite edge portions of a slit extending from end-to-end of said tubular main body.

5. In combination, a plurality of generally similar tubular jacket assemblies adapted to have the number of jacket assemblies increased and decreased in accordance with the needs of a particular operating environment and to have selected ones of said assemblies branch out from the remainder thereof at any point along their length, said assemblies each including a continuous tubular main jacket of flexible sheet material provided with a readily closable and separable seam extending lengthwise thereof, each of said assemblies also including a mounting strip bonded lengthwise of said main jacket between the opposite lateral edges of said strip, the lateral edges of said mounting strips each having first and second disengageable interlocking portions extending therealong and mated with the complementally shaped interlocking portion of an adjacent mounting strip to form a high strength junction therewith and said interlocking portions of one strip being separable from adjacent strips 5 6 for a desired length thereof by relative lateral movement References Cited of the mated interlocked portions to permit the associated UNITED STATES PATENTS -a ket ass mbl t b ch off t l f th f Laid jacke: asse in liesff a an ang 6 mm 0 ers 0 2,354,485 7/1944 Slaughter 138-128 X 6. The combination defined in claim 5 characterized 5 3,188,030 6/1965 Escher 248 68 in that said mounting strips are interlocked with one FORElGN PATENTS another to hold all of said assemblies secured together in a closed ring about the exterior of the tubularly inter- 1144666 4/1957 France connected mounting strips. LARAMIE E. ASKIN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A JACKET ASSEMBLY FOR USE TO ENCLOSE CONDUCTORS, CABLING AND THE LIKE, SAID JACKET ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS TUBULAR MAIN BODY OF THIN FLEXIBLE SHEET PLASTIC MATERIAL; THAT IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES A CONNECTOR AND MOUNTING STRIP FOR SAID JACKET ASSEMBLY, SAID STRIP EXTENDING LENGTHWISE FROM END TO END OF THE JACKET BODY WITH THE MIDPORTION THEREOF BONDED TO THE MIDPORTION OF SAID JACKET BODY, THE OPPOSITE LATERAL EDGES OF SAID MOUNTING STRIP BEING PROVIDED RESPECTIVELY WITH FIRST AND SECOND COMPLEMENTALLY SHAPED PORTIONS OF AN INTERLOCKING SEPARABLE SEAM OF THE TYPE METEABLE BY RELATIVE LATERAL MOVEMENT WHEREBY THE FIRST PORTION OF ONE STRIP 